


A Mother's Smile, A Lover's Touch

by orphan_account



Category: South Park
Genre: M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-18 21:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4720817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Re-uploaded)<br/>1. After a breakup with Bebe causes Clyde to start thinking about his deceased mother<br/>again, he tries to find a way to fill the "maternal void" in his life. The way that he comes to<br/>closure is something that neither he nor anybody else expected. Meanwhile, Kyle is<br/>annoyed by Bebe's actions after the breakup and wants some answers.<br/>2. Craig just started dating Tweek, and his preconceptions are leaving him a bit nervous.<br/>As he spends the night shift with Tweek, he learns that is not so much paranoid and<br/>excessive as he is spontaneous and scattered.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mom, I'm Going to Make You Proud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Bebe breaks up with him, Clyde turns to the comforting thoughts of his late mother and the support of his best friend.

“Tell me again: why, of all movies we could have watched, did you choose that one?” asked Bebe with an exasperated tone. That had to have been perhaps the dullest two and a half hours she had ever spent on a date in her life.

“I figured it would be a good way to start the night off,” said Clyde. “What was so bad about it?”

“Well, you know... everything about it. The special effects were cheesy, the acting was subpar, the plot fell apart halfway in. You have really bad movie taste.”

“We could always play a game or two. I finally bought a second controller, and we don’t have to take turns anymore.”

“Oh, no! This is the fifth date in a row in which we have sat through a terrible movie, played a childish video game, or some other lame thing you have thought of. Why can’t I ever plan something for us to do? When have you ever asked me about what I wanted? What about me, Clyde?”

“Look, I’m sorry. I just thought it would be a fun way to spend the night together.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I can take your type of fun anymore,” said Bebe. “You are not living up to the standards I held for you at all. It's time that we break up."

Break up.

Clyde knew that those words had been coming. He just knew it, as if some primal instinct warned him of its imminent arrival. The words stung not unlike a needle pricking one's own heart. They just seemed to linger there, their presence becoming more and more of a burden. Clyde could feel the blood rushing to his face, reddening it like iron in a blacksmith's workshop. His hands went completely numb and trembled slightly. Tears started to flow from his eyes, slowly but surely marking his sadness and frustration over the situation. He struggled to find words; it took a great deal of strength to force anything out.

“No, don’t do that,” he whined. “I really like you, and I don’t want to be alone. Please just give me another chance.”

“Really, you're crying again? That's just typical. A girl breaks up with a boy, and he tries to make himself the victim. You always cry over the dumbest things. You should have known that I was going to do this. I mean, seriously, why don’t you just go cry to your mom or something?!”

“B-because... because she’s dead!”

Bebe's heart skipped a beat, her face becoming cold and pallid like a slab of alabaster. How insensitive could one person be? “Oh, I’m so sorry! I totally forgot about that. I didn’t mean it, really. Just forget that I said that completely. We can totally watch that other movie, now.”

Although Clyde’s tears continued to flow, his emotion had shifted from sadness to anger. “You know what? No, I'm not letting this happen. You want to give me another chance after literally bringing up a subject that everybody knows I'm emotional about. I'm not going to let you build me or my hopes up anymore. What's said is said, and what's done is done. It's over, we're through. Just get out! I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” 

“You know what? Fine,” said Bebe as she stood up. "I would have just walked out anyways. Just you wait, I'll make sure you suffer." She walked out the door and promptly slammed it shut.

Clyde dropped onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. His tears were a combination of sadness and rage. “Ugh, that was horrible. I can't believe I put myself through that, all to be ridiculed.” He stopped crying and gave a final sniffle before standing up. "'Make me suffer,' she says. Ha! As if she hasn't already torn me apart enough as is. Whatever, she's clearly not worth it."

He looked at the clock; it was only 9:37. Clyde was expecting the date to last at least until midnight. With nothing else to do, he decided that maybe he should take a shower. Maybe it would help him to take his mind off of the whole situation.

After grabbing a new set of clothes to wear, Clyde walked into the bathroom and turned on the water. He made sure it was extra hot, just the way he liked it. The room filled with a cloud of steam, fogging up the windows and the bathroom mirror. He placed his freshly removed clothes into the laundry hamper and stepped into the shower.

The hot water cascaded over his body and his mind was distracted from the emotions he had recently endured. The shower was one of Clyde’s favorite places to think after a long day. It was where he liked to reflect upon things and consider what to do next in life. Stepping in the refreshing waters was like wiping a slate clean or rebooting a computer, a brand new start to things. Even his emotions took a complete reset. What went from sadness to anger, from pity to pride, was now going from regret to freedom.

 _I'm still a bit mixed about this breakup situation,_ thought Clyde. _I mean, I liked Bebe and all, but things just weren’t working out. I wouldn’t want it to get any worse than it already was. Maybe this was for the better, though. Sure, this wasn’t the best start to my summer, but now I’m a free man again. I can do whatever I want! Maybe I can hang out with the guys or something soon. It would be nice now that I’m not being told where to be or who to be with. I wonder what Craig is up to. After I get out of the shower, I should probably ask him what he's doing tomorrow. Maybe we can get together and chill or something._

After washing his hair and scrubbing himself clean, Clyde walked out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and swung it around in circles to clear all of the steam. Afterwards, he used the same towel to dry off his hair and body. Once he stepped into a pair of red boxer briefs, Clyde stepped in front of the bathroom mirror.

Upon examination, Clyde Donovan seemed like a typical teenager. There was no part of him that was out of the ordinary. He had always been on the heavier side, but not enough for it to be extremely noticeable in the loose clothing that he preferred to wear. He gave his brown hair a ruffle to maintain that “naturally messy” appearance it always had. His chin was well-defined and without a single strand of facial hair. For the most part, Clyde was pleased with the way he looked.

“I remember how much I used to hate the way I looked. How off-put I was when people made comments about my weight or stuff like that. How wrecked my self-esteem was when I found out a lot of my compliments were from girls who just wanted shoes. I’ve come a long way since those days. Mom would be proud.”

Clyde walked back into the living room and grabbed his phone from the coffee table. Nothing special happened when he was in the shower. He got a text from Bebe that read: "Just wait for the girls to hear about this. You'll never find a date again. Fuck you very much. -Bebe"

Ugh, as if he  
didn't see that coming. She was just as predictable when she was mad as she was in pretty much any other context.

He looked at the time: only a couple of minutes after 10. Now would probably  
be a good time to ask Craig about tomorrow. He found his number in his contacts and sent him a message.  
“hey craig”

“i'm sort of on a date right now. what do you want?”

“sorry i forgot. how is it going”

“tweek is easier to communicate with than one would think. he's a bit more scattered than i remembered, but he's pretty cool. aren't you with bebe right now?”

“yeah about that...”

“wait, don't tell me. she's asleep and you need to figure out where to put her.”

“ bebe broke up with me. she thinks that i'm boring and too emotional”

“that has to suck. look, why don't you come over tomorrow? i'll get a few of the other guys to show up too.”

“that sounds fine by me”

“just don’t get here before noon. i need my rest. that is, if I can get any with all of this coffee tweek has me drinking.”

“lol at least one of us is having fun”

“fun is definitely how i would describe this. i'll see you tomorrow”

“bye craig”

Clyde put his phone down and laid himself on the couch. He stared at the ceiling fan and sighed deeply.

“Mom, are you there? It’s me, Clyde. I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for everything. I still miss you. Trust me, I’m going to make you proud. I love you.”

Within minutes, Clyde had dozed off and was lightly snoring. And in that moment, everything seemed okay, like things would be alright. Clyde Donovan was ready to take on the world.


	2. I Probably Understood Less Than Half of What You Just Said, But That's Cool (Craig)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally getting out of rehabilitation, Tweek asks Craig to come to the shop. Craig hasn't talked to him since he checked himself in, and now they were going to date again? What could go wrong?

Craig stared at his watch as he stood by the front door of Tweak Bros. Coffee. It was 7:49, a little more than 10 minutes until his date with Tweek. The whole idea of this date felt strange to Craig. The two of them had lost touch with each other for three years, and all of a sudden Tweek texts him asking him to talk to him over coffee. It also had to do with the fact that Tweek just always seemed to be shook up over something, which could be really unsettling at times.

“I haven’t talked to this kid in years. I wonder, is he still as wired up as he used to be? I really don’t want to say something and it make him freak out on me. That would really suck.”

He walked in; everything was quiet.

Usually on a Friday night, this place was full of people looking to treat that special somebody to subpar, half-priced coffee. In the most recent years after a coffee scandal, TweakBros. would do anything to get their customers back. But stranger than the lack of customers was the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Tweak seemed to be absent. Was the place closing early?

Closed or not, Craig decided to have a seat at one of the tables by the window. This was where Tweek said they were meeting. Perhaps he had forgotten about the whole thing.

Craig figured it was probably because he was a few minutes early. It was cool, and he could wait a few minutes. He started slowly tapping on the wooden tabletop. It began as a slow pulsing, and as time passed, the tapping became quicker and more complex. It was now 7:58, and Craig was starting to lose his cool. He slammed his hands against the table and let out a loud groan.

The “Employees Only” door opened, and out stepped an individual with extremely disheveled blond hair. One eye was a grayish-green, while the other was a bluish-green; both had bags under them. There was no mistaking it: this had to be Tweek. He looked around with a puzzled look on his face. After a few seconds of surveying the source of the sound he just heard, he walked over and started staring at Craig, whose head was buried into the table.

“Umm, sir, I’m going to ask that you please refrain from making loud noises... it really stresses me out, and... wait a second. Craig, is that you?”

“No, it’s some other person that definitely sits in coffee shops for fun,” replied Craig. “Sorry about that. I got a bit stressed out, myself. How’ve you been? It’s been a while since we’ve talked.”

“Three years, two months, and 13 days to be exact,” said Tweek in an energetic, yet surprisingly dull tone. “Not that anybody’s keeping track, right?”

“It’s strange what can happen when your best friend ends up in rehab and you don’t end up talking to them for a few years. You seem... healthier.”

“Haha, really? Because in all reality, I feel more stressed out than I ever did. All of that pressure that I used to feel has just increased, and now it’s definitely too much pressure! Oh, Jesus, I need to calm down a bit...” Tweek turned around and took a few deep breaths. “Don’t worry, I’m only caffeinated.”

“So, about our date...”

“Date?” asked Tweek. He looked confused. He looked up and started tapping the back of his neck. “Date... hmm... Oh, riiiight. That date, I got you.”

“You forgot about it? Good.” Craig blankly stared at him, unimpressed.

“I’m so sorry! I’ve been under, like, a lot of stress lately. My parents have been out of town, and I’ve been looking after the place while they’re gone. This might not look like a lot, but I am freaking about everything. Gah! Just give me a minute to calm down, and I’ll go and make you a  
drink.”

Well, if there was one thing for certain, it was that Tweek was still full of enough energy to power an everyday metropolis. However, there was something just a bit different about him. He seemed to be more spacey and generally more stressed out than paranoid. At least he was more aware of himself.

After pacing around the other tables for a minute or two, Tweek stepped behind the counter. Craig figured he might as well watch. With the way that he had been acting, somebody needed to keep an eye out for him.

Though one would expect Tweek to be a bit of a klutz when doing something as simple as making a drink, he actually had some grace behind the counter. He grabbed a cup, placing it down with a bit of flair. After filling it with ice, he grabbed some brewed coffee and milk from the  
refrigerator. He took the two containers and held them well above the cup, pouring the liquids in a fairly equal proportion. Grabbing a squeeze bottle, Tweek poured some form of a syrup into the cup. A swift, yet delicate stir put the final touch on the concoction.

Tweek returned to the table, placing the beverage in front of Craig. “Well, here you go... I assumed that you still don’t care for the taste of coffee much, so I added a little extra milk to attempt to cut the flavor. I didn’t know what flavor you would prefer, so I hope vanilla will  
suffice. Oh, god, please don’t hate it!”

Craig took a sip of the iced coffee. It was silky on the tongue, with just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess to counteract the bitter notes of the coffee. “This is impressive. I didn’t expect something like this to come from somebody like you.”

“Anybody can make an iced coffee. It’s like, Barista 101 or something like that. Isn’t it? Yeah, definitely. Definitely an easy drink to make.”

“But still, this is better than most comparable beverages I’ve had. And it’s from you.”

“I was raised around coffee. Stuff like this is just second nature to me. Like, you could blindfold me and spin me in a bunch of circles, and as soon as I quit being woozy and pick myself off the ground, I could make you about anything that involves coffee, or even tea if you don’t spin me beforehand. My rehabilitator told me to do something that I know well, and since the only other think I knew how to do well was my reason for being in rehab, I stuck with this.”

“I was just going to say...”

“Like, this is my life. I used to be some kid that panicked and jittered over everything and felt like life was too much pressure. But now that I’m doing what I love in hopes that my parents will give me this place when I turn 18, I’m just a kid that still shakes on a normal basis, and panics about 72 percent of the time instead of 100 percent of the time. This is my road to recovery, and for once in my life, I think I can kind of sort of possibly maybe overcome the excessive amount of stress that I’m facing.” Tweek took in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “So yeah, that’s about it on that subject.”

“Okay, I’m going to pretend that I understood at least half of what you said and say ‘congratulations.’ So, tell me. Why is this place so empty?”

“Empty? The two of us are here, and... Ohhh, you meant why we’re the only two people in here right now. Like I was saying earlier, my parents are out of town. As a result, this shift has nobody working it. I’ve been covering it, but I felt doing two shifts in a row would be enough pressure to put me in a corner crying, so I turned off the lights and made it look like we’re closed.”

“I thought it looked a little dark in here. Wait, you said two shifts in a row? You did a morning shift, too?”

“Nope, worse. I work the night shift. Like, the 10pm to 6am night shift. And the worst part: I’m all alone and it gets really boring and I don’t like to be left alone with my own thoughts.”

“Well, I have nothing to do for the rest of the night. I could possibly stay with you and keep you company.”

“You would do that? Oh my god, thank you!” Tweek smiled, something that Craig had never seen him do much. “Also, if you’re free tomorrow evening, I really want to go out to dinner or something.”

Did Craig really just get asked on a second date? Did Tweek still see something in him, even after all this time? “Yeah, that would be fine. Look, I was planning on inviting some friends over to my place tomorrow if you wanted to come over.”

“Really? I can do that? Gee, that would be really cool! I miss having friends.”

“You know, we all still think of you as our friend. You’re free to hang out with us whenever.”

Tweek gasped really loudly. “Oh, cool! You know, there was a reason I always liked you so much. You’re just like really awesome for not making me feel like some total outcast that has to wander the streets and wrestle homeless people for leftovers and stuff. You were always my favorite, Craig.” He stood up and kissed Craig on the cheek. Craig sort of blankly sat there for a couple of seconds before giving Tweek a hug.

For the next hour or so, the two of them caught each other up on how their lives were going. They had a couple of extra cups of coffee and enjoyed the silent, caffeinated revelry of their own company. It was if the world had stopped sucking for just a little while.

At around 10pm, Tweek had walked away and started wiping tables, as if routine had him in a trance. Meanwhile, Craig’s phone started ringing. He stepped outside to see who it was. Apparently, Clyde was upset about Bebe breaking up with him or something. Craig invited him  
over like he had with Tweek and a few of the other guys and sent him back to do who knows what.

After putting his phone away, Craig walked back into the shop and sat at the table. “Is there anything you need me to do?” he asked.

“Just stay right there,” said Tweek. “and a server will be with you shortly.”


	3. Who Watches Such a Horrible Movie on a Date, Anyways? (Kyle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isn't it funny how one drunk text can cause an otherwise uninvolved third party to somehow become more involved than they ever expected? Yeah, that's what I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm crack ship trash!

Home: there really was no place like it, yet sometimes, that isn’t always necessarily a good thing. It was a break from the monotony of society, yet a supplier of that same monotony in the context of the bigger picture. Either way, Kyle was glad to be back after a long day of running errands of trivial importance. Taking his cousin back to the airport, picking Ike up from soccer practice, picking up some Chinese food of questionable quality for dinner, all of it was stressful and rather annoying.

Kyle grabbed some of the semi-room temperature white rice and a small quantity of sweet and sour chicken and went back to his room. He wasn’t even that hungry, and frankly, after the tedium of suffering through the mundane, the last thing he wanted to do was listen to his mother give some melodramatic sermon on why he should have been home before the sun set or some other lecture that he had heard at least ten times prior. It was best to just sit alone and return an hour later with a half-eaten portion of food that he could just place in the microwave and eat at a future point in time.

Kyle turned on his phone and checked his messages. Nothing too special, per se. Craig sent him an invitation to come over tomorrow. He had nothing better to do tomorrow, so that was a possibility. Stan sent him a picture of him with his girlfriend watching some foreign film that  
Wendy probably picked out in hopes of ‘exposing him to culture,’ or something like that. Oh, the things that he would go through for love. Cartman sent him some picture of his butt with a very typical vulgar and anti-Semitic comment. Why the hell did he even still talk to that asshole, let alone have his number in his contacts? The most recent message was from Bebe.

“heyy cutie why dont you come ovr to my place ;)”

What even was this message? Kyle had broken up with Bebe in the 6th grade. Not only that, but he also came out about his homosexuality in the 9th grade. Judging by the lack of any syntax, misspellings, and the emoticon usage, Kyle assumed that she was at least somewhat inebriated at this point. This was a very typical Bebe Stevens drunk-text. He figured that he should probably ignore it. The last time he bothered to try and reason with somebody under the influence, he ended up with a bruised rib and a minor concussion. Not that this mattered in a textual environment, but the same principles were still somewhat applicable.

There were two possible reasons why Bebe was drinking and flirting with people: somethinghappened with Clyde or nothing happened with Clyde, therefore causing something to happen with Clyde through indirect association. Either way, it would probably be a good idea to check up on him and see if there was a problem on his behalf. A phone call wouldn’t hurt.

The phone rang a few times before Kyle got a response from an extremely drowsy sounding Clyde. “Hello?”

“Oh, sorry if I woke you up,” said Kyle apologetically.

“How did you know I was...? You know what, never mind. Did you want something?”

“Yeah, Bebe is drunk texting me again. Did something happen between the two of you?”

“We sorta called it off. I’m back to the single life again.” Clyde sighed, clearly somewhat upset by the situation. “I guess I should watch this movie or something now that I’m up. I would hate to have rented it and not actually watch it.”

“Why the hell would you rent a movie when you could... You know what, I don't care. Would you mind if I came over? I have nothing better to do with my life, and you sound like you need some company.”

“I guess you can. Would you mind bringing some snacks or something over with you? I forgot to get any before my date. Wow, I guess I really do leave a bad impression.”

“I’ve got you covered,” said Kyle. “Give me 10 minutes, and I’ll be right over.” He ended the call, grabbing a backpack, umbrella, and the takeout box he brought with him. He placed the box in the refrigerator, desperately hoping that somebody might take it before he was forced to eat it.  
Into the backpack, Kyle placed a bag of potato chips, a box of cookies, and a few cans of soda. It would be enough to ideally last through a movie, maybe half if it was particularly lengthy. Either way, it would suffice. The rain outside was starting to fall heavily, so it looked like this would be a trip by foot, not that Clyde’s house was particularly far enough out the way to drive or ride a bike, anyways.

After braving the watery fury of Mother Nature, Kyle made it to Clyde’s house in one piece. He firmly knocked on the door. Clyde opened it, gesturing Kyle in. The redhead placed his umbrella in the corner and laid the bag of snacks on the table before taking a seat on the couch.

“So, are we really watching a movie,” asked Kyle, “or did you just let me come over so you wouldn’t have to get up and get more food?”

“Mostly that second option," admitted Clyde, laughing sheepishly. "But we can still watch the movie if you want.”

“I figure maybe you could put it on in the background or something while we talk about what's going on.”

“Okay.” Clyde turned on the television, and placed the movie into the player. He grabbed the chips and a soda from the bag and started snacking.

Kyle figured since the previews and such were running, now would be an ideal time to ask about the breakup. “Now tell me, what exactly happened between you and Bebe?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. Bebe said that I’m basically a boring and selfish person that cries too much. She also brought up my mom, and that’s what hurt more than anything else.”

“Hasn’t your mom been dead for a few years now?”

“Yeah.” Clyde shoved more chips into his mouth. His mood was down, but his appetite wasn’t. "Like, I usually only think about her on an emotional level on her birthday or Mothers’ Day or the anniversary of her passing. It just feels normal in situations like that, almost like I need to cry over it to remember her. Maybe Bebe was just my distraction from the pain that I feel whenever I think of her, and now it’s all coming at me at once now that she’s gone.”

Kyle felt really bad for him. He had been building a dam to hold back how he truly felt about his mom, and this breakup served to form an overflowing sluice of grief for him. “I get that you feel upset, and that’s normal. Grieving over somebody dear to you just shows how much they really meant to you. I’m not saying that you need to get over her, but you can’t just bottle things up and not expect things to break apart as a result. It's like patching a gaping stab wound with a small bandage and expecting it to heal without bursting or getting infected. It's irrational and just ridiculous. I think that the best way for you to come to closure would be to live your life in a way that celebrates your mother's life. Do what makes you think of her in the best way you can. What kind of a person was she to you?”

“I saw her as one of the few people that was there for me. My father works two jobs and basically lives in his office, so he has never really been around much. Whenever I was sick, she would let me watch TV on the couch and have all the popsicles I wanted. She would bring me a new pair of pants if I ever accidentally ripped the pair I was wearing. She listened to my problems and gave me advice, sort of like what you’re doing right now. Sitting here with you one-on-one almost makes me feel like I’m talking to her.”

“I’m glad that I can be of help to you. Usually when I try to give advice, everybody just turns their heads and walks away. It's nice to know that somebody will listen to me. This was like validation that he could make a difference, the motivation that he needed to feel better about himself. “Thanks for sharing such personal things with me.”

“No problem. Shall we watch this movie now?”

“I’d be happy to.”

The two boys sat by each other and watched the film. The food lasted about 30 minutes due to Clyde constantly munching on the chips. Kyle had to take the cookies away from him just so that he could actually get a few. They laughed at a parts, but most of it was monotonous. About  
halfway through, Clyde wrapped his arm around Kyle’s shoulder, pulling him in slightly.

“Kyle, don’t freak out or anything after I say this, but what would you say if I said that I think I like you?

Kyle looked at Clyde, tilting his head slightly. “Dude, what?! How did you come to a conclusion as important in that over the course of 45 minutes that were mostly spent in silence?”

"I dunno, you’re one of those people that I can actually trust telling personal stuff with, kind of like Craig. You went out of your way to comfort me in a time when I needed it most. And to be honest, you are just a person I could see myself spending a lot of time with.”

“This is a bit unexpected. I sort of figured I wasn’t somebody you would like in that sense."

"Why, because you're a dude? Just because I just broke up with a girl doesn't mean I only like girls. Does bisexuality mean nothing to you, Mister I Am Open to Social Issues?"

"Okay, I get it. You're bi, my bad. I'm sorry I assumed anything. Look, I’d be more than willing to date you, but we have to go on a date first. And before you say anything, this doesn’t count.”

“Did Craig invite you over to his house tomorrow? I know he said he was going to have some people over for my pity party.”

“I think I vaguely remember a text mentioning something along those lines. You're not going to make this a... public thing, are you?”

“I don't even want to know where you're going with that. I was thinking that after a few hours or so, we could leave from there and I could take you out to dinner.”

“Dinner would be nice.”

“Awesome. I’ll ask Craig and Tweek to come, too. It could be a nice little dinner date.”

“Look at you, planning things out and everything. I’m impressed.” Kyle gave a thumbs up to the situation. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Aren’t you going to stay and watch the movie?”

“I would, but you ate all of the snacks. And honestly, this movie is a piece of shit. You need better cinematic taste.”

“I guess Bebe was right about that, after all huh?” Clyde gave a nervous grin. “Don’t worry about dressing up. We won’t be going somewhere too fancy. Take care.”

“Oh, and Clyde, I’m sure your mom is really proud of you.”

“Thanks.”

Kyle grabbed his things and walked home. The rain lightened up a little, so he didn’t even bother opening the umbrella. When he got back to his room, Kyle changed into his pajamas and crawled into his bed. He might have had a long day today, but tomorrow was going to be just as long, if not longer. He was excited for his date. Not only was he potentially going out on his first date in ages, but he didn’t have to eat that goddamned Chinese takeout in the fridge.


	4. I Left This Perfectly Fine Dating Venue So We Could Find a Good Dating Venue (Tweek)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, if these two weren't on a date before, they sure as hell are on a date now.

“But aren’t you the only server here?” asked Craig.

“Ohh, I forgot. That’s code for give me a minute to do something. Just don’t run away or break anything, okay?” Tweek walked away from the table and entered the employees only room.

Well, wasn’t this a bit of a tricky situation? When Tweek invited Craig to come over for a date, he sort of expected to be done working for the day. If only his parents hadn’t went to that Coffee and Tea Vendors’ Convention for the weekend. The blond started pulling at his hair a little.

_What do I do, what do I do??? This is bad. Definitely the opposite of good. This was not the intended result. Is he really going to sit here with me for eight hours in this place? What would we even do? Wait, I think I have an idea! Not bad, Tweek. Not bad at all._

Tweek took a deep breath before heading back to where Craig was sitting. The raven-haired boy was looking at his phone again. Tweek gave him a tap on the shoulder.

“So, you know how I asked you to stay here with me tonight?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Change of plans. I need you to get out.”

Craig raised an eyebrow at him. “Dude, what the hell?”

Tweek realized how he worded that. “No, no, no, no, no! I didn’t mean it like that! I don’t hate you or anything. I’m just gonna lock up for the night, and I would hate to leave you in here alone. I mean, there is a phone if you were to get stuck in here. Alternately, the windows and door are made of…”

“Tweek!” Craig interrupted. “I get it. But didn’t you say you have another shift?”

“I’m going to let you in on two things. One: this shift is just what my parents use to keep me out of the house at night. I have pretty bad nightmares sometimes, which leads to lots of screaming. I blame it on my medications. For something that causes me to stop screaming while I’m awake, it sure as hell doesn’t work when I’m not awake.”

There was a long pause.

“And two?”

“Gesundheit.”

Craig put his coat back on. “Let’s just go…”

Tweek turned all the lights off. After fetching his bag from behind the counter, he escorted Craig out of the building. He grabbed the keys to the building, and he slowly turned them in the lock, unlocking and relocking the door just to make sure he did it correctly.

Craig asked Tweek where they were going. Tweek had no idea, so they just aimlessly wandered about town, sheltered from the rain by a clear umbrella. It was pretty awkward: neither of the two talking to each other and just making circles through the various districts. They probably would have been better off just staying at the shop. At least it was warm and had refreshments.

“Hey Craig, what were you doing on your phone back at the coffee shop?”

“Oh, well Clyde texted me. He just went through a pretty nasty breakup, or so he says.”

“Was it Bebe? They’ve been on and off for years, right? It just screams ‘unstable’ to me.”

“I think this might be the last time. Now that Clyde isn’t bribing her with discounted shoes anymore, she has no need to stay.”

Tweek nodded. “I guess not. What did you say to him?”

“I told him that I’d invite some guys over so we could cheer him up. I bet he’d appreciate if you came.”

“Well, I think I can manage that. It’s not too hard to put up some fake sign saying that there’s a gas leak or that somebody died.”

“Awesome. I’ll let you stay over tonight so you don’t forget.”

“Nah, I couldn’t put your family through all that screaming. Besides, it’s not often that I get to sleep in my room and not on the couch in the employee lounge. That thing is really springy, and some of the upholstery is shredded. Not really a nice experience if you ask me.”

Craig shrugged as they continued walking, passing the building that once housed the City Wok. Now it was an authentic Chinese restaurant ran by an actual person from China. It made this part of town seem slightly less… well, shitty.

Things were constantly changing in town. It seemed like just yesterday they were opening the Whole Foods for the first time. Some businesses rose, while others fell. It was always interesting to figure out what kind of new things would go on in South Park. But there was one thing for certain, and it was that this was much different from the place they knew back in elementary school.

Tweek was absolutely cold. He was really regretting this plan. His therapist told him to do more walking, but was a date really the right time for that? He would ask Craig for his coat, but then he would be cold. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be back behind the counter pouring the two of them a nice, hot caramel macchiato. 

The rain had let up considerably in the hour or so that they had been walking around. The streetlights were faintly glowing, their shadows like lanky specters in the night. There were a couple of shops and restaurants open to cater to the somewhat active nightlife. Tweek grabbed Craig’s hand, leading him to a noodle shop.

“I think I found a perfect place to continue our date.”

Tweek and Craig sat down at the counter, waiting for a server to take their order. Tweek looked over as Craig was using his phone again.  

“What are you doing now?”

“Clyde messaged me again. He…”

“Oh, well if you love Clyde so much, why don’t you just date him instead of me?”

“Whoa, chill. I don’t like him. And besides, he’s already got another date in line.”

“Already? Didn’t he just…? You know what, I don’t wanna know.”

“Don’t worry about it. Clyde works in mysterious ways. But what I was going to say before you interrupted me was that he wants us to come with him on his date tomorrow.”

“Is it a double date, or is this just going to get weird?”

“For his sake, it better be a double date or I’ll kick his ass.”

“Yeah, and I’ll help. He better watch himself.”

“Alright, I’ll make sure to tell him that.”

A server finally got around to taking the boys’ orders. They both ordered a bowl of pork ramen after asking what the server recommended. They received their noodles fairly quickly compared to the amount of time it took to order them. It wasn’t long before they started slurping away.

Tweek paid for the meal, a way of apologizing for having them walk around for so long. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t have done this earlier.”

“Don’t worry about it, you did nothing wrong. Should I walk you home?”

The blond smiled. “I think that sounds cool. Not as cool as this weather. Like, what? Why is it so cold? I know this is Colorado and all but… Yeah, let’s take me home.”

The duo walked back to Tweek’s house, After all of the walking they did, he was pretty relieved that he could finally lie down. 

“Thanks for going out on this date with me. I’d say I can’t wait until our next one, but it would be a bit impatient of me if I couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

Craig smiled. “Well, you should get some sleep. We’re going to have fun tomorrow. I’ll see you at noon. Try not to have any nightmares.”

Tweek kissed him on the cheek. “After tonight, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

After Craig left to go home, Tweek walked up to his bedroom. He changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. Usually it would take hours for him to fall asleep after calming himself down. Tonight, however, he fell asleep instantly.

And it was the best sleep Tweek Tweak had ever had in seventeen years.


End file.
